Whispers from the Colonised Windows of Palestine and Aotearoa
Performance Blurbs
Ahlan wa Sahlan / Wherahanga (Opening Performance)
Friday 14 th February
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Location to be announced via Instagram;
Join Sameh Shamout and Lee Stuart as they take to the streets of Pōneke
for the opening
performance of Windows of Palestine – an immersive outdoor experience where poetry,
music, and architecture intertwine.
Through storytelling, Sameh builds cities from wooden blocks – delicate yet unyielding
symbols of his people's history. His trembling hands bear the weight of memory, yet the
structures rise, a tribute to the resilience of those he honours.
Inevitably, the blocks fall, collapsing under an unseen force – an unspoken echo of
colonisation’s impact. In this fleeting moment, a powerful truth emerges: the imposed fragility
of stolen lands and the strength that refuses to be erased.
Sumud: A Story of Love, Loss, and Return
Saturday 15 th February
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
two/fiftyseven (2/57 Willis Street, Wellington)
Step into a world where walls whisper secrets, ancestral spirit lingers in the air, and history is
written through the voice of a window in a beloved home. Sumud is a breathtaking
storytelling performance, weaving together the true story of the Palestinian people’s
resilience in the face of exile and loss through one family’s experience.
Told through the eyes of a home that has witnessed tragedy, love, laughter, and longing, this
immersive journey takes you through the heartache of displacement, the strength of
connection, and the unbreakable spirit of hope.
A tale of unwavering love and steadfastness (Sumud), this performance invites you to
experience the beauty of memory, the power of resistance, and the eternal promise of
return.
Join us for an unforgettable evening where the past and present intertwine, and where love
and indigeneity—like the roots of an ancient olive tree—endures beyond time.
Rita and the Rifle
Sunday 16 th February
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
two/fiftyseven (2/57 Willis Street, Wellington)
You are invited to bear witness – to be the double-glazed window through which Rita’s story
unfolds. A Palestinian poet and an Israeli soldier struggle to hold onto love in a world that is
determined to break them.
Across oceans and generations, another love story is etched in grief. Poihaere, cast out for
placing her heart in the hands of a Pākehā man, grieves for generations of sons fated to be
taken by Hine-nui-te-pō.
Through poetry and waiata, Sameh Shamout, Lee Stuart and Rameka Tamaki deliver
indigenous memories of love, and the unshakable sorrow left in its wake.
Ka mua, ka muri: Walking backwards into the future
Monday 17 th – Tuesday 18 th February
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
two/fiftyseven (2/57 Willis Street, Wellington)
Weaving together the histories of their ancestors, three indigenous artists carry us through
the trials and tribulations of land confiscation and the insidious entrenchment of colonial
architecture. From the erased rangatiratanga of a Māori princess to the burning of marae –
this performance is a reckoning with the past and a window to the future.
In a world where history was written by the victors, where our names and whakapapa have
been wiped from literature, we return to our marae – to the feet of our ancestors – tracing
knowledge down the tāhuhu, through the heke, back into our bones.
Join Lee Stuart, Teirangi Klever and Sameh Shamout for two evenings of resistance,
remembrance, and reclamation: where the past is not forgotten, but carried forward with
every breath we take.
Venue Access Information Wheelchair accessible - Accessible bathroom - Assistance dogs welcome - Entirely flat access venue with elevators up to the space from the ground level. All bathrooms are non-gendered. 2 accessible toilets. Stair chair for anyone needing assistance in case of emergency.
